Mid-Engine Corvette C8 Crash In VA
A user on Corvette Forum has it on good authority that a mid-engine Corvette C8 prototype suffered a crash while undergoing testing at Virginia International Raceway.
The user in question says they were on their way to do some instructing at VIR this past weekend when "an email was sent delaying any entry into the paddock until 7:30 PM at the earliest," which is later than normal. Organizers for the event then apologized, saying the track was experiencing unforeseen delays due to a "private high security" track rental. They later heard chatter that Chevrolet was at the track testing the twin-turbocharged version of the mid-engine Corvette C8 when it crashed. The user also said this was "confirmed" by a source that they did not want to name.
No one will blame you for being skeptical of a random poster on the Internet, but this rumor isn't totally baseless. A friend of the original poster doubled back to VIR and managed to pick up a camouflaged part from the crashed car that General Motors allegedly left behind, which you can view at this link. While the part in question looks quite odd, the camouflage appears to match that seen on mid-engine Corvette C8 prototypes. Such camo would also be quite hard for an amateur to replicate. Furthermore, a second poster claims they saw a fleet of C8s near their house in North Carolina last week just a short drive from VIR.
Another publication, Carscoops, already reached out to GM for comment on the matter. A spokesperson for the automaker had a strange response, saying "my gut tells me no accidents happened at VIR last week." This may suggest that this specific person was not made aware of the incident, leaving them reluctant to say whether or not it happened. VIR has not responded to comment on the matter, which is probably for the best, given that GM frequently uses the track for testing and lap records.
Source: Sam McEachren, GM Authority
Posted 4/5/19